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Darkspawn
The darkspawn are a race of mostly humanoid creatures who live in the Deep Roads, ascending to the surface only during a Blight. Foul and tainted, they are a horde of nightmarish creatures who remain a threat to all of Thedas. Physical Appearing diseased and pestilent, the darkspawn are infected with the Taint, which binds the hordes together into a shared conciousness. Territory conquered by the darkspawn is also infected by the Taint, and nearby creatures bcome diseased and twisted mockeries of their true selves. The darkspawn come in a number of different varities, each spawned from a broodmother of a different original race Broodmother A broodmother is a huge, immobile ghoul capable of spawning other darkspawn. Created by subjecting females of other humanoid races to the darkspawn taint, and possibly being force-fed darkspawn tissue, the broodmothers are guarded fiercely by their tainted children and are found deep below ground. All broodmothers are tentacled peversions of nature, though the exact appearance depends on the base race. The type of darkspawn a broodmother spawns is dependant on the original race of the female - dwarven broodmothers produce genlocks, while a human produces hurlocks. An elven broodmother will produce shrieks and the kossith broodmothers spawn the fiersome ogres. Children The larval form of the darkspawn, the Chilrden are the form that darkspawn are spawned in before they mature. Found only in the deepest and most dangerous areas of the darkspawn controlled Deep Roads, the children quickly progress from their most vulnerable grub stage to a more developed Hatchling stage. At this stage, they have sharp claws and a hard protective carapice, wickedly quick and disturblingly stealthy. Hurlocks Created from human broodmothers, the darkspawn hurlocks often form the strongest part of the darkspawn armies. Known for their savagery, they are noted as excellent shock troops and terrifying foes, adorned as they are with tribalistic tattoos and trophies to mark their kills. The most intelligent, strongest hurlocks become Alphas, with a measure of contol over their lesser bretheren, offering a measure of organization to the usually shambolic horde. Genlocks The most numerous of the darkspawn, the genlocks are spawned from dwarven broodmothers and thus have a measure of magical resistance. Stocky and tough, genlocks are as commonly found fighting on the front lines as they are found shooting from the back with a bow, or being used as darkspawn assassins or runners. As with hurlocks, the strongest and most intelligent genlocks are the alphas, who hold positions as commanders and generals of the darkspawn armies during a Blight. Shrieks The most nimble and quickest of the darkspawn, shrieks are spawned from elven broodmothers. Their fragile looking form belies the strength these creature possess. Often found acting as rudimentary scouts for the darkspawn, or being used to flank or surprise an enemy, the shrieks commonly employ Stealth to deadly effect, and possess a ear-splitting howl that can leave their prey stunned and disorientated. Ogres Dwarfing their smaller darkspawn cousins, the ogres are the embodiment of the raw strength and savagery of the tainted horde. Sporting huge curved horns and sharp fangs, the ogres are spawned from Kossith broodmothers. In battle, they often charge their enemies to take advantage of their massive bulk, and have been ovserved to throw rocks, cause tremors with their fists and simply grab warriors and squeeze the life from them. Grey Warden lore advises caution even with a dead ogre, suggesting that one ensure it is truly dead and not merely lying dormant and recovering, being said to be able to fully recover in a matter of minutes. Far more terrifying are the even tougher Ogre Alphas, who have been known to garb themsleves in simple but functional armour. Emissaries The most intelligent of all darkspawn, the emissaries act as the horde's spellcasters. Rarely seen outside the Blights, they employ a form of magic similar in nature to blood magic. Acting as generals and commanders of the Horde, a few emissaries have been noted to have the ability to speak and communicate with other species, though this is by no means a regular occurence. Both hurlocks and genlocks are capable of becoming emissaries. Disciples An advanced form of darkspawn hurlock capable of free thought, speech and tactical warfare, the Disciples are the result of experiments by the sentient darkspawn, The Architect. Seperate from the hive-mind and with developed personalites of their own, these darkspawn are thought to have all been killed by the Warden Commander, Adrian Reinhard, during the Darkspawn Civil War. Archdemons Tainted by the darkspawn Taint, the slumbering Old Gods of Tevinter rise again as the leaders of the darkspawn hordes. Dragonic in aspect and possessing a wicked intelligence far beyond even the average dragon, they are truly evil creatures. Their awakening signals the beginning of a new Blight, and only their deaths at the hands of a Grey Warden can stop one once it has begun. Of the potential seven archdemons, five have thus far been killed. History Chantry lore teaches that the first darkspawn were created when the Magisters of Tevinter tried to enter the Golden City of the Maker, tainting this divine place and turning it into the Black City. Cast out and transformed into the tainted monsters, they fled from the light of the sun into the Deep Roads, where they grew in number until they found and tainted the sealed away Old God Dumat. Transformed into the first Archdemon, Dumat led the darkspawn hordes in the First Blight, bringing the dwarven empire to its knees and shattering the power of the Tevinter Imperium. It was only with the founding of the Grey Wardens that the darkspawn horde began to be pushed back, with Dumat eventually being slain at the Battle of the Silent Plains. Since then, the darkspawn have found and tainted four more of the Old Gods, thus starting four more Blights. Defeated each time with the archdemon slain, the darkspawn return to the Deep Roads to continue their search for the remaining Gods. It remains only a matter of time until they find them. Following the end of the Fifth Blight, the darkspawn did not immediately return to the Deep Roads as expected. With the emergence of the Disciples, and the apparent power stuggle between the Architect and the Mother, the darkspawn began to war among themselves in the only documents Darkspawn Civil War. After skirmishes and battles throughout the Ferelden Arling of Amaranthine, including at Kal'Hirol and the launch of a major assault against Amaranthine City itself by the forces of the Mother, both the Architect and the Mother were slain by Adrian Reinhard, ending the conflict and sending the remaining darkspawn back to the Deep Roads. Society and Culture Unlike the other major races of Thedas, the darkspawn have very little resembling and form of culture or social organization. Barely sapient, the average darkspawn has no intelligence beyond an animalistic cunning, and they do not possess any language of their own beyond grunts and roars. Squatting in the remains of the dwarven Deep Roads, they have no skill at construction beyond basic barricades, and little skill at forging their own armour and weapons, instead salvaging what they can from either their victims of the ancient halls of the dwarves.Completely hostile to outsiders, they are forever caught up in the cycle of searching for, and then following, the slumbering Old Gods, driven by the Taint and the songlike call the sleeping Gods give off. Darkspawn at Fortress of Glass Here at Fortress of Glass, the darkspawn are not a playable race. At some point in the future, this may be revised to allow a limited number of Disciples to be played. Darkspawn with mostly be encountered as enemies, especially in plots involving the Grey Wardens and/or the Deep Roads. Of note is the fact that we will be basing the darkspawn, for the most part, on their appearance and traits shown in Dragon Age: Origins and Awakening as opposed to Dragon Age 2 and the Legacy DLC. 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